Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Commentaries and Notes

Do not be alarmed... I am not going to change too much the format of this blog, However since New York Fashion Week starts tomorrow and I am not posting any photos today, I decided to share the latest post on one of my 'dormant' blogs that I decided to revive. If you like the following, feel free to follow the other 2 blogs that feature more reading material. Links at the end of the post. (From 'Idle thoughts of a Gentleman'

I’m not one to be too concerned with the general opinion people have of me (partially because people in general tend to bore me) and the sickness called ‘need of acceptance’ is one that I’ve long become immune to. Psychologist will tell you that humans have a need for acceptance and approval … I say a fool is he who caters to a fickle mob – what you ultimate lose is far more valuable than what can be gained. Without concern of the attention of others, let me say that I am a gentleman. Now, I feel the need to clear the air and state that there is a misconception as to what constitutes the fabric of a gentleman/lady. It’s not so much caring what people think, but living in a manner that isn’t offensive to the quality of life of others. Today I bring this up because of my commute today into the city (New York City). I sat by a nice looking lady (which I always enjoy doing even when I have no motive other than to simply be off me feet), she even smelled the smell of vanilla, musk, rose and laced with a hint of caramel, undoubtedly she was wearing Spark by Liz Claiborne. I had no intentions on speaking to her (maybe I would have made an exception if she was wearing the scent of sandalwood and the veltiver found in Chanel #5), being next to her was enough to cause a man to smile... then I heard boom bap ... I looked over and saw her nodding her head... NOOOOO.... That's when I noticed the white ipod head phones sticking out her ears. I have 2 issues with this picture.

1. The quality of music that a second party hears from headphones is pretty much garbage. I can't help but feel you're violating me by forcing me to listen to low quality sound.

2. Aside from the sound being of poor quality, I was in no mood to hear 'her' music.

I sat back and shook my head. Thought to myself that if I were interested in this woman, this would have been a deal breaker. Technology has taken us away from personal connections and creates individual worlds where people think less of each other and only seek personal satisfaction. At that point I did possibly an ungentlemanly thing (but I think the Gentlemen Gods will forgive me), I got up and decided to stand instead of sitting next to her, someone ran to the seat ... I allowed them to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment ... then I looked, they to had on the white wire and blaring music. They ran to grab the seat on the subway and head headphones with blaring music... all I needed now was them to start singing and it would have been the trifecta.

2 page spread in Arise Magazine

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SWAGGER

The thing that makes you stand out in a crowded room without being forced, fabricated or pretentious.Swagger is that smile in the face of adversity knowing that obstacles only make the road more interesting.SWAGGER 360 is for everyone who understands that there is a big difference between style and fashion. Fashion is what you buy, style is self expression and how you live.

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DO'S AND DON'TS OF THE GENTLEMAN

- A gentleman does not make idle threats.

- A gentleman does not brag.

- A gentleman does not whine.

-A gentleman knows how to use a dictionary.

-A gentleman accepts a compliment by saying, "Thank you. It's nice of you to tell me that." When a friend tells him, "That's a good-looking tie. Jim", a gentleman does not respond by saying "this old thing? I was almost ashamed to bring it out." Such remarks imply that the person paying the compliment has questionable taste.

- Whenever possible, a gentleman stays away from sore subjects.

from the book:How To Be A Gentlemanby: John Bridges

THINGS TO KNOW:

HOW TO POLISH A SHOE

1.

Wipe your shoes down with a damp cloth to remove any superficial dirt and stains.

2.

Wet the welt brush and scrub out the entire welt strip.

3.

Apply sole-edge dressing - carefully, if the shoe should need it. If you get it on the upper, it will strain them permanently. Let the edge dressing dry before moving to the next step.

4.

Apply polish, using a circular rubbing motion. No need to overdo it, no need to be too gentle. the more you rub, the better the final outcome. Let the polish dry, it'll take about 5 minutes.

5.

Buff the entire shoe with a polishing brush. for that extra touch, hold the shoe between your knees and both the shoe applying a little muscle using a lint-free cloth.

A GENTLEMAN'S ESSENTIALS

While big boys are measured by the size of their toys, Gentlemen are measured by a different set of standards. Without going into the semantics of who is a Gentleman (right now,) SWAGGER 360 will offer a list of ‘essentials’ for the modern day Gentleman.

-A pair of DRESS SHOES (1 black, 1 brown…. Gym shoes ARE NOT dress shoes no matter how much they cost.)

- A BESPOKE SUIT ( if you can’t do bespoke, at least bring your off the rack suit to a good tailor.)

- A good TAILOR

- A POWER WATCH (nothing speaks as loudly of a man as his watch…except everything else on this list.)

- A TOP COAT (Nothing looks more ridiculous than a man in a suit and bubble or leather coat.)

- A CARRYING BAG (Leave the back pack for the 23 and under crowd.)

- A FOUNTAIN PEN (When they said “the pen is mightier than the sword”, they weren’t talking about a ball point.)

- A MONEY CLIP and CARD HOLDER (Leave the wallet at home with all the unnecessary papers in it ….sleek is the word.)

- A WHITE DRESS SHIRT (Always have one of these ready, you can never go wrong with a crisp white shirt.)

LET'S TALK WINE (A MATTER OF TASTE) - lesson 101

Wine will fall under one of four major types: red, white, rose' (also called blush), and champagne. Generally when dining, the usual choices are either red or white. Champagne is in a category by itself and a story in itself as well. Rose is the least 'serious' between the four and generally advised for a fun day in the sun.

The first thing that distinguishes wine is the obvious ... the color, then the difference between sweet and dry wines, wine regions, and vintages.

THE COLOR

The main difference between red and white wine is that red wine contains skins, seeds, and stem. The reason these things are left in the making of red wine is to allow them to mix with the juice with maceration (woody bits) causing the finish product to contain tannin (the woody taste). It is precisely the tannin that allows red wine to acquire its complexity. as a rule of thumb, red wines are heavier and more complex than white wines. Because white wines tend to be sweeter and palatable, beginners are often guided towards them.

Anyone can make wine almost anywhere, but some places have obviously learned how to process their wine better than others. The Safest best are still France, Italy, California (the only place in America worth investing in ... wine-wise of course).

(of course these regions produce other wines, but it'll be up to you to sit and sip your way to full knowledge).

VINTAGES

Mother nature determines the great years and the average years. It is the weather that determines the amount of sugar in the grape juice, when it's picked, the kick and other characteristics. The rain that falls around the time of the harvest usually determines the amount of sugar in the grapes. Ultimately vintages are what experienced wine drinkers look for. Find out what years produced the best harvest and enjoy. Check out the chart of WINE ENTHUSIAST magazine www.wineenthusiast.com